Two Things To Remember
About Writing Copy And Dr. Seuss
Dr Seuss
Thing 1 and Thing 2. (ok now that I am finished rolling on the floor laughing at my own joke let’s get down to some seriously fun copywriting)
Zaniness, craziness, imaginative, silly, compelling, riveting, innovative, instructive and perhaps even eerily hypnotic in its prose, Dr. Seuss found a way to connect with readers of all ages. Every person of any age who ever opened the “Cat in the Hat” or “Green Eggs and Ham,” has been somehow unable to put them down until the book has been read from cover to cover.
Dr. Seuss Knew that Good Writing was Good Writing wherever it was Written
Hop on pop. This is a short sentence. It expresses one idea. It gets an idea across. It was more effective with a drawing. End of Lesson.
Short compelling sentences tell you what you want to know quickly and then let you move on to the next idea. Using strong combinations of nouns and verbs moves the reader through your writing and provides them with a better understanding of your material. A very wise and prolific copywriter once said, “Good copy only comes after you have written 10,000 words, then edited it to 5,000 words and then done a final edit to make it 2,500 words.”
KISS is the principle at work here. KEEP IT SEUSS SIMPLE and you will get your point across faster and with understanding.
Periods Can Be Fun…
While this may sound insensitive…it really carries a lot of meaning. Putting a stop to something before it gets out of hand is really what a period does and it makes it a lot easier to read your work and let others understand what you are trying to tell them without having a run-away sentence of 30 or 40 or 103 words taking up the entire paragraph and really not doing anything but demonstrating that a period if nothing else allows your reader to take a breath once in a while so that they can digest the material that you have provided them…. (The extra periods are so you can go back and add them in where you like in that last sentence/paragraph.)
Dr. Seuss Wrote Memorable Prose
While most copywriting would not fit well if put into verse it still must carry a certain lyrical quality to it. The sentences must flow together and the ideas must be congruent throughout the entire message. Dr. Seuss took a lesson from a religious teacher who did nothing but tell stories. In fact, nearly every word related to this Rabbi is recorded in the form of a story or teaching parable.
Stories are memorable and they get the point across even when the mind is not open to a sales message. It also holds the attention of even the wiggliest child.
Before you write your next piece of copy spend some time with Dr. Seuss.
Recommended Resources: Stopwatch Copywriting (from ‘Guru’ copywriter, Jason Fladlien)
Stopwatch Copywriting E-Class (also from Jason Fladien)